Manav Seth

“War is not an option” is altogether an ironic statement by the Taiwanese leadership, perhaps because it is not in any position to exercise options and it has none. China’s threat to “smash” Taiwan plainly depicts its offensive realism and cross-strait tensions are at an all-time high as Taipei prepares its citizens against an impending attack from Beijing by conducting civilian drills and is in constant hope of external support from Washington, which over the years has remained somewhat inconsistent. This looming disaster in the Indo-Pacific is being largely overlooked, whilst the mainstream press continues to present one-sided narratives on the Ukrainian situation, which is capturing global attention. The People’s Republic of China (PRC), also known as mainland China recognized by the United Nations, to consolidate its influence over the region, has been pursuing an imperialist-expansionist policy that also upset Indian neutrality decades earlier. Now, its main objective is to integr...

“Those who did not submit (to Akbar’s Mughal regime), such as the senior Rajput house of Mewar, were ruthlessly extirpated”. Being subjected to such derogatory narrative besides appalling to the valiance of the warrior, propounds distorted annals of India’s past. When the bulk of the subcontinent had bowed to Mughal onslaught, one state had unquestionably rejected to bargain its sovereignty despite countless proposals and aggressions to the contrary. Under the mighty Maharana Pratap, the Udaipur state or the Mewar kingdom boldly held out against Akbar’s expansionism. Although, the Rana of Mewar is today remembered for his valour and heroic opposition to the Mughals whom he encountered at Haldighati, the bloody battle faces polarized legacy among the masses- contemplated by many to be the downfall of the Maharana but still appraised by a good deal as a blow in the face of imperialism. This column tries to address three main contentions: first being the alleged escape of Maharana Pratap ...